Steroids and Athletes
James Silva Jr.
Engl. 1302.03
Dr. Suzann Spaniel
8 April 2013
Steroids, PEDs and Athletes According to Bouchard (2011), The use of performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) in sports has been at the center of an international ethical debate for many years (p.1). Athletes taking PEDs and doping traces back to ancient Greek times, athletes enhanced their endurance by using natural stimulants (Bouchard, 2011). The use of substances to aide athletes perform better, grew dramatically in the early twentieth century, but didn’t go unseen by officials as regulations started to surface (Bouchard). Steroid and performance enhancing drugs have been present in sports for years and don’t seem to be going anywhere, perhaps legalization is the future. English cyclist Tom Simpson, died after the 1967 Tour de France, died after using amphetamines, one of the few deaths due to PEDs (Bouchard). Due to the frequent usage of PEDs and steroids the urgency for drug testing athletes increased (Bouchard). The 1998 Tour de France faced an international scandal when officials found vast quantities of illegeal drugs in cyclist’s possession (Bouchard). Usage of PED’s date back to 1928, and anti-doping agencies have been trying to stop athletes from using, but have been clearly unsuccessful (Bouchard). For Example in baseball, the legalization of steroids could help a long way with issues with the voting of players into the hall of fame, and do away with all the lawsuits players are facing (Forbes, 2012). According to Forbes (2012), legalizing PEDs is also a sensible solution from a business standpoint, Steroids and PED usage around the late 90’s boosted baseball’s popularity tremendously, more stadiums were sold out and merchandise purchases sky rocketed. Legalization would also put less stress on professional sports organizations by doing away with spending countless hours on creating anti-doping policies and researching which PEDs they will allow athletes to take (Forbes). Arguments such
Engl. 1302.03
Dr. Suzann Spaniel
8 April 2013
Steroids, PEDs and Athletes According to Bouchard (2011), The use of performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) in sports has been at the center of an international ethical debate for many years (p.1). Athletes taking PEDs and doping traces back to ancient Greek times, athletes enhanced their endurance by using natural stimulants (Bouchard, 2011). The use of substances to aide athletes perform better, grew dramatically in the early twentieth century, but didn’t go unseen by officials as regulations started to surface (Bouchard). Steroid and performance enhancing drugs have been present in sports for years and don’t seem to be going anywhere, perhaps legalization is the future. English cyclist Tom Simpson, died after the 1967 Tour de France, died after using amphetamines, one of the few deaths due to PEDs (Bouchard). Due to the frequent usage of PEDs and steroids the urgency for drug testing athletes increased (Bouchard). The 1998 Tour de France faced an international scandal when officials found vast quantities of illegeal drugs in cyclist’s possession (Bouchard). Usage of PED’s date back to 1928, and anti-doping agencies have been trying to stop athletes from using, but have been clearly unsuccessful (Bouchard). For Example in baseball, the legalization of steroids could help a long way with issues with the voting of players into the hall of fame, and do away with all the lawsuits players are facing (Forbes, 2012). According to Forbes (2012), legalizing PEDs is also a sensible solution from a business standpoint, Steroids and PED usage around the late 90’s boosted baseball’s popularity tremendously, more stadiums were sold out and merchandise purchases sky rocketed. Legalization would also put less stress on professional sports organizations by doing away with spending countless hours on creating anti-doping policies and researching which PEDs they will allow athletes to take (Forbes). Arguments such
Bibliography: Bouchard, E. (2011). Drug testing for sports: An overview. Points of view: Drug testing for sports, 1-5. Forbes. (2012). Why it’s time to legalize steroids in professional sports. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2012/08/24/why-its-time-to-legalize-steroids-in-professional-sports/. Jacobs, W. (2011). Counterpoint: Athletes have the same rights as all other Citizens. Points Of View: Drug Testing For Sports, 3. Whittaker, A. (2011). Point: Performance enhancing drugs should be legalized. Points of view: Steroids, 1-5.